SwrD (YlzI) Promotes Swarming in Bacillus subtilis by Increasing Power to Flagellar Motors.

The bacterium is capable of two kinds of flagellum-mediated motility: swimming, which occurs in liquid, and swarming, which occurs on a surface. Swarming is distinct from swimming in that it requires secretion of a surfactant, an increase in flagellar density, and perhaps additional factors. Here we report a new gene, , located within the 32 gene operon dedicated to flagellar biosynthesis and chemotaxis, which when mutated abolished swarming motility.